forecast
/ˈfɔːkɑːst/
"forecast" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“forecast” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,143 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #6,143
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To estimate how something will be in the future.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | forecast |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈfɔːkɑːst/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #6,143 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “forecast” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for forecast is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfɔːkɑːst/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,143 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for forecast, with forms such as "fforecast", "foercast", and "forceast". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "forest", "foremost", "forecasted", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English forecasten, forcasten, equivalent to fore- + cast. The noun is from Middle English forecast, forcast. The correct English form is forecast, spelled F-O-R-E-C-A-S-T.
Definition
- 1To estimate how something will be in the future.
- 2To foreshadow; to suggest something in advance.
- 3To contrive or plan beforehand.
Etymology
From Middle English forecasten, forcasten, equivalent to fore- + cast. The noun is from Middle English forecast, forcast.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: fforecast,foercast,forceast,foreacst,forecasst,forecastt,forecats,foreccast,forecsat,forrecast,froecast,ofrecast
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of forecast - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “forecast”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-O-R-E-C-A-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈfɔːkɑːst/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “forest” - see the side-by-side comparison. forecast vs forest
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.